Limits to growth

The name of a famous, and influential global dynamic model constructed by Dennis and Donella Meadows in the 1970s. This mathematical model was the first with global reach, with a long-term time horizon. It had five main sectors: 1) population, 2) industrialization, 3) natural resources, 4) malnutrition; and 5) environmental degradation. The model results showed that population growth would result in a neo-Malthusian catastrophe in which natural resources would be depleted and the human condition would deteriorate. The model triggered much discussion and some acrimonious debate, but served its purpose of providing early warning about what might be. Critics pointed out that the model, while non-linear, did not include future technological developments that could change the model’s coefficients and alter the forecasted outcome.